Test Subject 51
by Xylothene
Summary: She exists for Dr. Tomo's death. She is the prototype. She is test subject fifty-one. Dante X OC
1. Prologue

The white bulb of the light – like the ones surgery rooms have – washed all over my already pale skin. I reached up to rub my eyes to find that it was restrained at the wrist to the metal slab I was lying on.

Turning my head, I saw my kidnapper shuffling through labeled test tubes, each filled with a kind of a chemical I didn't learn about in my chemistry class. I watched him closely as a bead of sweat rolled down my face, dripping off my hair and onto the metal table. I swear, it was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Slowly, the man walked over to me, holding a long, merciless needle that was filled to the brim with one of the liquids from the test tube rack. And as the needle pierced my skin, he pushed down on the top of the syringe as the icy hot chemical flowed from the tub into my muscle. Almost instantly, my muscles lost control of themselves and soon I was thrashing around violently in the restraints, jerking at the leather straps. The liquid burned intensely as it flowed into my body. I let out a strangled cry and clawed at the metal desperately; begging for the pain to stop and promising him anything he wanted if I was set free.

And he would just smile and say, "I'm already getting what I want."

The next couple months went by this way; him injecting me with strange compounds and me screaming in agony until my throat went numb.

And then, everything went dark.

My name is Sai, and I am test subject fifty-one.


	2. Chapter One

"Hey."

I couldn't recognize the voice. My eyes just wouldn't open.

"Hey, wake up."

Wake up? I am awake.

"Wake up!"

Aren't I?

Slowly, I broke to the surface and the bright lights came slowly into focus. Taking a deep breath, I noticed I had an oxygen tube under my nose. I reached up to rip it out, but a feminine hand stopped me. Glancing around, I found myself in an all-white room with two windows right next to each other.

Ick. A hospital.

Wait. Wasn't I with that guy just now?

"I'm so glad you're awake."

A nurse was standing by the bedside, smiling down at me with gleaming eyes.

"How did I get here?" I asked, confused.

"Well, we just," she paused. "found you."

"Found me?"

"On the side of a road."

"When was this?" I asked, rubbing my eyes sleepily.

She looked at me grimly. "A little under two years ago."

I did a double-take.

"Are you serious?!"

She nodded and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I know it's hard, but we'll help you until you're good as new!"

And with that, the nurse refilled the IV back and left. I sat back against the pillows, trying to piece everything together.

Two years? Are they sure? That couldn't possibly be right.

Wait!

That dream…It had to have been a dream, right? Seriously, what kind of guy would experiment on a girl? It's absurd!

Suddenly, the door opened and in walked a young-looking doctor. He smiled at me through his glasses.

"Hello there! So you're finally awake?"

"Yeah, I guess," I said, eyeing him suspiciously. I hated hospitals and anything having to do with them.

He held out his hand to me. "I'm Dr. Dileo."

I shook his hand reluctantly, but didn't offer my name. He seemed puzzled by this, but asked no questions. Instead, he walks into my room and pulls up a chair.

"So do you know how long you've been out?" he asked, examining some medical charts on a clipboard.

"Two years apparently."

"That's correct. How are you feeling?"

I shrugged. "Fine. Completely fine."

"Weak? Sick?"

"No."

He nods and jots some notes down onto a blank sheet of paper.

"You arrived here on October twenty-second almost two years ago." He said, more to himself than to me.

"And you don't remember anything at all about what you were doing right before you passed out?"

"No."

"Nothing at all?"

"Nothing." As if I would tell you the truth, man. I'm no fool.

He makes a small 'hm' sound before jotting my answers down and sitting back in his chair, looking at me thoughtfully.

"We'll need to run a few tests on you before we can discharge you."

I folded my arms. "I don't have to do anything."

Sighing in frustration, Dr. Dileo rubs his temples with his index and middle fingers.

"I'm sorry, but we must perform these tests in order to see-"

"To see that I'm okay, which I am."

He leaned forward. "We don't know that."

Challenge accepted.

"Then you're blind." I said.

Dr. Dileo's pager went off and he stood quickly, almost thankful to be out of this verbal challenge with a nineteen year old girl. As he opens the door, he looks back at me.

"Whether you like it or not, we _are_ going to be testing you."

The click of the door shutting made me smile to myself. We'll see about that. Getting up, I ripped out the IV needle and tore off the oxygen mask. I walked over to the window, lifting up the glass and screen and peering out below me.

Shit. Third floor.

For a second, I seriously debated jumping.

The click of the door told me I should've. I turned around to see the same nurse from before, only this time she was looking at me, slightly confused. Cautiously, I backed away to the window.

And the minute she realized what I was doing, she was screaming for the security to take me to the psychiatry ward.

Gasping, I ran at the nurse's feet and dove between her legs, rolling to my feet and running down the hallway at full speed. I made a right turn but at the other end I saw security guards and Dr. Dileo running toward me. Turning around, I went back in the same direction I'd come from, only making a left this time. The floor was so slippery I almost fell running around corners. Shoving two doors open, I ran into the wing marked 'Surgery', where the doctors and nurses were staring at me, then going after me once they saw the security guards. I ran for another pair of doors, but when I tugged on the handle they wouldn't budge.

"Easy now, we don't want to hurt you," a voice said from the other side of the room. Must've been Dileo.

Giving up on the doors, I ran into a surgery room that was vacant and quickly to the window. Dr. Dileo ran into the room and lunged for me but I ducked and shoved him away and into a table with medical supplies on them. Slower this time, he took a step toward me. I took another step toward the window.

He held out his hand, expecting me to take it like a good girl.

Too bad good girls can kick ass.

I pulled away from him and lunged at the window, jumping completely through the glass, one knee tucked up into my chest and my hands crossed in an 'x' shape in front of my face.

And the fall began.


	3. Chapter Two

Falling.

The wind on my face hit like a thousand raindrops.

I'm falling!

Snapping my eyes open, I quickly removed my arms and looked toward the ground as I fell. Thinking quickly, I spread my arms as if I were a flying squirrel and braced my body for an impact.

And then as quickly as it had started, it was over.

I had landed on the ground perfectly – like a cat – and ran down the alleyway and around a corner, coming to a stop in front of a dumpster. I slid down the brick wall until I was sitting against it.

What the hell just happened? I couldn't have survived that. That was a three-story fall!

Pinching myself, I closed my eyes, thinking this was all a dream. Then, when my eyes opened again, I saw the same dumpster that I had stopped in front of. I sigh.

This isn't a dream, isn't it?

I got up and started walking through the alley, coming out to a kind of wooded area that I guessed was used as a local park or something. Finding a nice, shady tree, I sat down again and relaxed.

How? How did I survive that?

And then I realized.

That was no dream.

It was a memory.

It was real.

It was _real._

Feeling my breath quicken, I tried hard to remember what exactly he was doing.

Something about the ultimate human.

That's it! He was injecting me with special compounds he made using chemicals that made steroids! I wonder, does that mean I'm stronger, too? Is this permanent or only temporary?

I got up and started walking again. There were so many questions floating around in my head, and I had no idea where to go with them. I had no idea where that man was, or how to find him. But I did know one thing.

He would _never_ get away with this.

Looking around me, I saw a lot of families with their children. I wished I could be like that, normal, loved. But no. No one would ever love a monstrosity like me.

Facing the facts, I sighed and looked down at the stone pathway, thinking about everything I could recall.

Of course, that didn't prepare me for the flying Frisbee to the face.

I stumbled backward against a tree, rubbing my temple and grumbling as a teenage kid came over frantically.

"Hey! Are you all right? I'm so sorry!"

"Yeah, sure. I'm fine."

"You sure?"

I nodded and went to hand him the Frisbee when he was running away from me. I looked at him with the best confused face I could manage. He smiled and held his arms up high.

"I'm open!"

I couldn't help but smile as I threw the Frisbee to him.

I should never have done that.

As soon as he caught the Frisbee, he fell over due to the sheer force of the throw. And the sickening snap shortly followed. He sat up slowly, cradling his wrist and crying.

And it was _awful_.

His bone was completely snapped clean off and jutting out of his skin, exposing the bloody muscle and all. With him crying and shouting, it took no time at all for a crowd to form around him, and they were all staring at me.

Oh my god, they're looking at me.

Did _I _do _that_?

A man in a polo shirt came over to me and pointed at me menacingly.

"We're taking you in! Come with me!"

As he went to grab me, I swung my leg around him and hooked it onto the back of his knee, the force causing it to buckle and he went crashing down. I took that as my cue and took off, sprinting down the path and into the street.

It didn't take a cop car long to find me.

He must've been going _at least_ 90mph.

I sucked in a harsh, shaky breath and pushed onward.

And soon enough, I outran the speeding car.

I was never an athletic girl, so I figured that this was also part of the experiments done on me. Finding a safe place nestled up in a tree in between two houses; I watched the cop car speed past me and down the street, its sirens blaring.

I sighed as relief washed over me in a huge wave, then looked down at my hands, remembering the sound of the boy's wrist snapping. I shuddered.

I was never that strong before. I wonder; what else has he done?

"Hey. You okay?"

I jumped so high I nearly fell out of the tree. Looking down, I saw a woman standing beside the trunk with a red and black motorcycle. She had short, spikey black hair and two different eye colors; one blue, one red. She also had a scar running across the bridge of her nose.

I clung to the tree, staring at her with suspicion.

"I saw the whole incident. Are you all right?"

I nodded slowly in response, looking her over. She seemed like one of those girls who loved to fight. We would be great friends.

"It's okay, you can come down. I'm not going to turn you in."

I yelled down to her quietly. "Yeah, right."

She held her arms facing palms-up to show she had no intention of doing anything negative.

"I'm not going to harm you. I have no intention of doing so."

Slowly, I jumped down from the tree and she smiled at me and held out her hand.

"I'm Lady."

For the first time in a while, I smiled as my hand automatically reached for hers.

"Name's Sai."

"So Sai, you're not from around here, are you?" Lady asked, and she was dead on.

I slowly shook my head. "N-no."

She nodded and examined my current outfit; a black tank top that was too short for me, so it showed my stomach, and jeans that went down to my calves. She shook her head and chuckled.

"Well, how 'bout we get you some new clothes first?"

Looking down, I realized that I had grown a lot while I was in the hospital. A small blush spread across my face.

"I-I didn't even notice how horrible I look!"

Lady laughed and patted my shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. Hop on!"

She handed me a motorcycle helmet and we were off. She took me to the local mall and bought me three whole outfits; a pair of skin-tight jeans that really showed off my curves and a black Batman shirt, a pair of flare jeans and a grey top, and a red, black, and grey plaid mini dress that flared out at my hips – which was my personal favorite – as well as a pair of black grunge boots, which I completely adored. I couldn't have thanked her enough for everything she'd done for me.

Lady laughed. "It's no trouble, Sai. I can tell that you need help. Do you have anywhere to stay?"

Slowly, I shook my head. "No, but I'll be okay. I used to camp all the time as a kid."

Lady shook her head. "No. You are not 'camping' out in the woods. It's dangerous out there."

"But-"

"No! You're staying with me. Now come on. We gotta get going. It's getting late."

Giving up, I let her lead me back to her motorcycle in the parking lot and soon we were headed down the road to a block of ritzy-looking apartments. I figured you must be a doctor or lawyer or _something _big in order to live there.

And when Lady opened the door to her apartment on the second floor, it felt almost like home.


	4. Chapter Three

The weeks passed by quickly, and Lady and I had become sisters.

Well, pretty much like sisters.

Lady also helped me brush up on my martial arts classes. I'd taken Taekwondo at about thirteen and was a first degree black belt by the time I was kidnapped by that creep.

I still haven't forgotten about him. He'll get what's coming to him soon.

In the meantime, I'd also discovered some other abilities I'd acquired since the experimentation; I can outmatch any human in speed, strength, and endurance. I can run like a cheetah at about sixty miles per hour and keep running at that speed for about an hour and a half before I even break a sweat. I also found I can bench press about two-hundred and twenty pounds, which was more than I ever could back before I was kidnapped.

Although, thinking about it now, whenever I looked in a mirror, I didn't look any different from a normal, average girl; I was still as slender as ever, my body thinning out at the stomach, then curving at my hips. My legs were leaner and more full, which I didn't understand.

Suddenly, Lady called up the stairs.

"Hey, Sai! Did you want to go to a friend of mine's place? I have to collect his debt," she said as she winked at me. I laughed.

"And by 'debt' you mean he owes you sex?"

Her face blushed a beating red. "What? N-no!"

"Riiiiiiiiiiight."

"Sai!"

I couldn't help bursting into a fit of laughter. Lady grabbed a pillow and started hitting me with it, laughing a little herself.

"No, I don't mean sex. I actually meant debt. The bastard owes me money."

"Oh? Money for what?"

"Stuff."

I rolled my eyes. Lady was hardly secretive, but when she was, she does not crack! Trust me, I've tried.

"Sure, I guess."

"Great! Let's go!"

She grabbed my arm and ran out of the house, me stumbling over my own feet to try and catch up to her. Once we were both settled on her bike, she drove off and down the street, making a left. A few minutes later, we were practically in the heart of the city; everything was so lit up and bright that it looked a little like Tokyo!

I love watching the world fly by. It doesn't matter if I'm in a car or on a motorcycle, I'll always get lost in the bliss of the world racing past.

"Sai? Sai! Hellooooooooooo?"

A sudden knock on my head caused me to jump and practically fall off Lady's motorcycle. Looking up at her, I rubbed my head where she was knocking on it.

"Jesus. That hurt!"

She just smiled and pulled me along and up some stone steps to a big building with a sign that read 'Devil May Cry' in bright red LEDs.

Inside, the room was practically bear aside from a jukebox in the corner to the right of the door, a pool table over to the left side, a desk in front, and a door behind him.

Curiously, I looked around and I hardly heard anything of what Lady said.

That is, until a tall and gorgeous man walked over to her, rolling his eyes and grumbling about the money he owed her.

He was tall –probably about six-foot three– with white hair that framed his face nicely, his five o'clock shadow stretching all the way across his jaw line. And his eyes! He had these brilliant ice blue eyes that would make any girl worship the very ground he walked on.

And his eyes slid slowly in my direction. I quickly averted my gaze to appear as if I wasn't staring at him just now. He must think I'm such a freak!

"And this is my friend, Sai," Lady said, gesturing to me as I looked back at her, turning my head to the side.

The man made a small 'hn' sound, and that was about it. I gave a small smile and extended my hand.

"Hi. And you are?'

Instead of taking my hand, he simply stared down at it, then back up at me.

"Dante."

Withdrawing my hand slowly, I gulped nervously as he turned to talk to Lady.

"Look, I don't have any money to give you."

Lady gave a sigh of annoyance.

"Seriously, that excuse is getting old real fast, Dante."

"Well, it's the only one you're getting, so."

Throwing her hands up in exasperation, Lady gave a huff and grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the doors to his…er….office. She shoved the helmet of her motorcycle in my hands.

"God, he is such an ass!"

I looked down at the helmet, thinking about my encounter with Dante.

"Maybe he really doesn't have the money?"

"Yeah, he probably spent it all at Love Planet, like he does all the time," Lady said laughing sarcastically.

"Love Planet?" I asked, kind of not wanting to know, but having a good guess of what it was.

"It's like Dante's hangout. It's a stripper bar."

That's great to know.

Not like he'd ever be attracted to a girl like me, but whatever.

Lady was silent the whole way home, and when we got up to the door of her apartment, there was a flyer taped to it. It was a light pink color with cherry blossoms over the sides. It looked really elegant.

"That's right. I forgot that was this weekend," Lady murmured, tossing the flyer over her shoulder.

I looked at it, balled up on the ground as Lady walked inside. Grabbing it, I hurried after her and went up to my room, where I shut the door and smoothed out the flyer, reading over the pink paper:

**14****th**** Annual Cherry Blossom Festival**

**November 16****th****-18****th**** at the county park**

**Wear a kimono and get free admission!**

Smiling to myself, I remembered when I was about four and my parents took me to a kimono festival similar to this one. Sighing, I taped the flyer to my wall and lay down in bed, thinking about how different my life was now.

And slowly, I drifted off into a deep slumber.


	5. Chapter Four

The park was beautiful from the tops of the trees to the ground we all walked on. There were Japanese shops lined up all around the park with paper lanterns hanging galore. It truly was a beautiful sight to see.

I stepped carefully, trying not to squish any of the sakura petals as I walked. My kimono was simple, but lovely; made with the heavy fabrics used for a winter kimono; mine was a wine red color with gold dragons all over it with a black and gold obi tied around my waist. My hair was done up with a lot of bobby pins and decorated with cherry blossoms. I hate to admit it, but I never felt like such a princess like I did now.

I'd been through most of the festival, exploring the shops and such and even seeing the geisha girls perform for about an hour and a half. I was truly mesmerized by their dancing; it was so graceful, so beautiful. I wished I could dance like them.

Walking through the less-condensed part of the park, I saw a man and woman whom I guessed were married and holding their children's hands as they walked by. Both of the children were dressed in kimonos, and they looked like they were having so much fun. I smiled at them and waved when the little girl looked at me. Sighing as I watched them go, I turned toward their direction and decided to walk back into the festival part of the park.

That was when I heard it.

Hundreds of screams for help. I took off toward the festival, my kimono's sleeves flying backward as I ran with all my speed. I ran past the family I'd seen before, not making eye contact with them. The little girl gasped and pointed at me as I sped away.

"Look, mom! It's a geisha!"

Inside the festival, it was mass chaos; everyone was running and screaming, trying to get away from whatever was causing the danger. I looked around and saw several people lying on the ground, probably dead. I spotted some men in black kimonos and they were beating a lot of people. I angrily ran at a group of them and jumped into the middle, protecting the man who was being harassed. I glared at all of them menacingly.

"Leave. Now."

Instead of obeying me, they laughed in my face as they backed up a little, blinded by their laughter. Taking advantage of my time, I helped the man to his feet and he fled to one of the shops, stopping to turn back and watch me. As the men all surrounded me, I closed my eyes for a split second and blocked a punch thrown at me from the person in front of me. Stepping around him, I took his wrist and gave a good palm strike to the elbow and it snapped completely. The man cried out in pain and proceeded to swing his other fist at me. I ducked and stuck my log out, knocking him to the ground as quickly as I could. As soon as I got to my feet, someone's hand connected with my face, making me stumble backward and into one of the assassins. He wrapped his big arms around me and hoisted me into the air as I kicked at the other men rushing toward us. I didn't panic, mind you. Instead, I sprung into the air with the man's arms still wound around my torso and spun horizontally to the ground, setting myself free and landing back on the ground. I also managed to kick one guy in the face as I did my little stunt. They all stood, angry as hell, and came at me. I grinned and ran at them, dodging another punch and spinning behind the man who'd thrown it, elbowing his spine with all my force and causing him to fall. A hand shot out and grabbed me by the hair, yanking me backward into someone, whom I assumed was one of the robed assassins. I gave him a good kick to his knee and the sucker snapped out of location as I grabbed the assassin by his shoulders and swept him onto the ground. The rest of the men had quickly moved in to stop me, everyone grabbing onto my kimono sleeves and forcing me to my knees as some of them kicked and punched me.

A gunshot went off into the air, the sound making the men stop and fall silent. The only sound they heard was the bells on my wrists as I spun around, sticking my leg out and knocking them all into the air. They fell one by one as I watched, still on my knees from the attack. My kimono was a wreck; the sleeves were torn and revealed my arms up to my elbows and the bottom part ripped away to reveal my bare calves up to my knees.

Of course since I was distracted, I kind of deserved the slap across my face.

I fell backward and looked up at one of the men with a katana in his hand as he held it above him and brought it down on me. I rolled over and the katana sunk into the ground, snagging on my kimono and ripping a new hole in it. Quickly, I ripped the rest of the fabric from the sword and dug my hands into the ground, flinging dirt and small rocks up into their faces.

And that was when a second gunshot went off and one by one, the men fell. As the dirt cloud faded, I saw that they were no humans, but demons in disguise. Ugly black creatures with red eyes arose from the bodies and flew into the sky, disappearing in the shadow of the moon.

"They should know that it's not nice to hit a lady," said a voice from somewhere around me.

Summoning all my strength, I stood slowly as a gentle wind blew through the park, blowing my hair – which had fallen out of its style – back behind my ears. My eyes gently looked at him from the corner of my eye as I turned my head slightly to get a better look.

And it was Dante. Figures.

He was dressed like he was the day I met him; a long red leather trench coat with a black undershirt and black tight pants with red leather chaps.

He walked over, spinning his gun which was still smoking from the barrel and eyed me over.

"You look like you've really taken a beating."

"No shit," I scoffed at him as I brushed the dirt off of my kimono; or at least, what was left of it.

Smirking, he held his hand out to steady me as I stumbled a little, my legs threatening to give out on me. Instead of looking into his icy blue eyes like I wanted, I kept my gaze angled with the ground. I knew that if I looked up at him, I'd simply melt.

I mean c'mon, the man is gorgeous!

"Come on, Sai. Let's get you cleaned up," he said softly this time, with a soothing kind of voice. Nodding, I walked with him back to his office building, his arm around my shoulders to steady me in case I stumbled. I had to admit, it felt nice to be in someone's arms. I felt safe, protected.

Of course I could never tell him that, but still.

"Thanks," I said softly as he opened the door to his office and helped me inside.

"For what?" He asked curiously.

"Helping me take those…things out."

Smirking, he looked down at me with his sweet eyes boring holes through mine.

"I did nothing. That was all you."

He made me sit down on his desk as he went into the bathroom to grab a first-aid kit and came back shortly afterward. He kneeled in front of me and rubbed a cotton ball with alcohol. He looked up at me and gave me a crooked smile.

"This is going to sting."

I hissed as he rubbed the cotton ball against my bloody knee, gasping at the burning sensation it had started and wincing as it got worse. I squeezed my eyes shut as I rode out the pain. When it finally went away, I opened my eyes to find Dante wrapping gauze around my knee.

"Oh, you don't have to do that. I'll be fine," I said, trying to sound confident.

Instead he shook his head and continued wrapping my knee.

"So you're the brave type, huh?" He asked.

"I dunno. I guess," I thought, mulling over what he'd asked me.

"There should be more girls like you. Girls who will stand up for other people and defend them with their lives," he murmured softly as a scarlet brush spread across my cheeks.

"So, how come you're being nice to me all of a sudden? When we met a few days ago, you were kind of being an asshole," I stated matter-of-factly.

He let out a small chuckle as he stood, setting the first-aid kit on the desk.

"Well it isn't every day Lady brings a friend over. Truthfully, when I saw how you two seemed to be linked, I was debating if she was bi or something'," Dante said as he set to work on my arms, which were all banged up and bloody from the fight.

I blushed.

"You, you thought I was bi?!" I asked in disbelief, then did a complete face palm when he nodded, smirking down at me with his baby blue eyes.

I couldn't help but laugh. "You've got it all wrong, man! Lady and I are like sisters!"

He let out a small laugh as well. "Okay, okay. Would've been hot if you two were lesbians, though."

I threw my head back, chuckling. "Of course you'd think that."

He shrugged in response.

"Hey, I'm me! What do you want?"

As if I could tell you what I wanted…

Suddenly, the phone rang and I jumped.

Dante chuckled lightly and reached over, picking it up.

"Devil May Cry," he said in his business tone.

He nodded a couple times as his gaze slid over to me. "Yes, she is here."

He was talking with someone about me. Oh boy…

He nodded a couple times and handed the phone over to me. "It's your father, Sai. I'll give you two time to chat," he said as he exited the room, shutting a door behind him.

I slowly put the phone up to my ear. "H-hello? Dad? How did you-"

"Shut it, girl. I'm not your stupid father," said the voice on the other line.

This is definantly not good.

"Who are you? What do you want?" I asked as demandingly as I could. I was rewarded with a low chuckle.

"I am Dr. Tomo, and I am the one who experimented on you two years ago."

My eyes widened and I almost dropped the phone.

"You know, you've caused me so much trouble these past two years; police constantly searching everywhere for you, featuring your disappearance on the news. I've been living in fear that someone would get the truth from you, but I know you wouldn't do that. I know you're a good girl, Sai."

My breath caught in my throat. "It was _you_!"

He laughed shortly on the other end of the line.

"Yes. And now you will return to me. The experimentation must continue."

"And what makes you think I'll-"

"Oh, I know you will. You see, I know you've been living with some lady in the town you're staying in, and I've got her right here with me. Would you like to say hello?"

Oh my god. He has Lady!

"You bastard! Let her go! I swear to god I'll kill you!"

"I know you won't, Sai. I am no fool. You wouldn't dare risk the life of your dear friend just to get revenge on me, now would you? I am calling to make you an offer; if you come back to me with no one else around, I will let your friend go. But if you violate any of my demands-"

"Then she dies, right?"

"Exactly! Now you're catching on!" He said with a maniacal laugh.

I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breathing.

"Where should I meet you?"

I could almost feel him smiling on the other end of the phone.

"The place where I found you. One Thirty One Fourth street in Fortuna. See you soon, fifty one."

The other end of the line went dead.

I didn't even bother to hang up the phone, because I was already out the door and sprinting down the street.

Hold on, Lady! I'm coming!


	6. Chapter Five

**Author's Notes: Wow, I never thought my story would be so popular! I'd just like to take some time to personally thank everyone for writing these wonderful reviews! You guys are the ones inspiring me to keep this story going! Love you all! **

It's almost dark now. I've crossed the border from Capulet City into Fortuna, and now I'm walking toward the very location where I was kidnapped. I had to admit, I was scared, but I need to do this. If not for me, then for Lady. She had no part in this.

I couldn't help but think that this was all my fault. If she hadn't taken me in, then she wouldn't be in danger just now.

I crossed the street and came to one thirty one fourth street. Looking around nervously, I could feel my senses going into overdrive as I came up to the fairgrounds that took up the entire lot at the address. Jumping over the turnstile, I walked past a couple kiddy rides as I searched the entire fairgrounds lot. Giving up on the actual fairgrounds, I figured I should check out the indoor theatre that the people who hosted the fair would rent out for shows and such. Opening the double doors, I stepped in slowly as the door creaked closed behind me.

That was when I heard someone's voice.

A spotlight came on and shined center stage, and there was a figure standing there. I stayed where it was as the figure lifted its head up, looking at me through glasses that shined in the spotlight.

"Welcome, Sai, to the Fairground Theatre. This is where we first met."

It was a man's voice. I decided to at least get some information out of him first.

"Where's Lady? We had a deal."

He tossed his head back and howled in laughter.

"You truly are an idiot, but you must be a good friend if you would come all the way here knowing that you are going to be taken just to save your friend."

"Wait, what?"

"I do not have Lady. She is merely out on a job."

I felt the anger boiling inside of me. I ran toward the stage and jumped on it like a track runner jumping hurdles. I ran at him, swinging my arm in a hooked punch directly to his head, but he grabbed my fist and twisted menacingly, causing me to cry out in pain as my body started to turn with my fist. Using brute strength, I went under his torso and got him up on my shoulders, where I tossed him over and threw him into the ground with all my force, the wooden floorboards of the stage actually cracking and breaking a bit. He quickly got to his feet as I backed away.

"I see that my experiments made you stronger."

"You will pay for what you've done to me!"

"What I did was for science! Not for you!"

"And look where it's gotten you!" I shouted at him angrily, picking up a broken floorboard that had found its way to my feet. I threw it at him and he caught it and ran at me. I tried to climb out the window on the back wall past the curtains, but he grabbed my ankle and in seconds I was kissing the ground.

I slid across the stage floor and into the broken floorboards, creating some of my own as well. Wincing, I could feel a piece of a board lodged through my palm as I got to my feet. He walked toward me and I took my fighting stance.

No more messing around.

As he went to grab my wrist, I spun out of his reach and knocked him right off his feet, but he landed just like I did when I jumped out of the hospital window. I tried to give him a palm strike using my bad palm and I got him right across the cheek. The board cut deep into his skin and soon, blood was trickling down his cheek like a tear. He growled angrily and grabbed my throat, knocking me off my balance and slammed my head into the ground of the stage. He squeezed my throat and I coughed, trying to pry his fingers away.

"Except your defeat. You cannot beat me!"

I shoved my bad hand into his face and hit him right in the nose, where I heard a snapping sound and figured I'd broken it.

But he did not relinquish his hold on my neck.

Instead he turned away and coughed, snarling at the blood gushing out of his nose. When he turned back to face me, he looked like a rabid monster, the way his eyes gleamed with the thought of seeing me screaning in agony.

"If you are not going to go back with me willingly, then I must force you!"

I felt a sudden pressure on my hands as they were torn away from his hold on my neck and pinned to the ground with his feet. He was standing on my wrists and bent over to keep his hand around my neck.

I winced, feeling his weight on my bones as they creaked a little.

He smirked down at me and at how helpless I looked.

Suddenly, I rolled backward onto my shoulder blades and gave him a knee to the back, which threw him off the stage and onto the floor, his hand releasing my neck from the shock of my attack. I stood quickly and ran for the back window again, quickly climbing up the wall and grabbing the latch to the window.

I struggled with it and I guess I lost track of time because he had come toward me and grabbed my ankle, throwing me from the window and onto the ground, where I rolled into the pit of broken boards again.

I could feel my strength starting to slip away as my vision went fuzzy then back to normal then fuzzy again. I closed my eyes to try and steady myself as Dr. Tomo came over and grabbed my arm, taking a needle out of his coat pocket and staring down at my dazed self.

He smiled at me with the kind of evil I'd never even imagined.

"See this? This is a special compound I created just for you. Enjoy!"

He stabbed the needle into my arm and injected the fluid quickly, then backed away as I screamed and arched my back from the burning sensation. It burned like all those times before, but this time, it got progressively worse as it traveled through my bloodstream. I thrashed violently, crying out in anguish as Tomo watched intensely, as if this were all a movie.

"W-what's happening to me?" I screamed out as my eyes squeezed shut from the pain.

"It's called a lethal injection. You will never make it through tonight!" laughed Tomo, who was making his way out of the backstage door as he spoke.

And soon, he was gone into the night.

My body was convulsing so much it ached, but wouldn't stop. The pain was unbearable. And it just wouldn't stop.

I screamed loudly over and over again until my throat went hoarse, just like before, but even when my voice was gone, I never stopped thrashing or crying. The pain in my palm was nothing compared to this new sensation.

About an hour later, the compound had done whatever it needed to because my body had stopped thrashing. Now, I was just lying there on the stage, waiting to die. The spotlight shone brightly on my skin, making it shine. A tear slid down my eye and over my nose, then past my other eye and it dripped onto the ground.

So this is it. I'm going to die.

Another tear slid down my face as I stared blankly out into the house, which was pitch black from the spotlight practically blinding me. Out of the window directly above all the chairs in the audience, I could see that it was almost morning.

Slowly, I could feel my control over my body slipping away into darkness. And all I could do was lie there and cry until it was over. Sounds like a great way to die.

All I thought about was how Lady would feel if I never returned to the apartment. And my family, how they were going to see my death in the newspaper one morning.

I even thought about Dante and all he'd done for me with the first-aid.

Two more tears made their way down my face as my vision started to go blurry.

All I heard was the door opening and a lot of footsteps coming closer to me.

And then the darkness pulled me under.


	7. Chapter Six

Death was a miserable, lonely place. All around me, everything was black. Except the moon. The moon was glowing compared to this place.

This place; it was kind of like a beach, but with black sand and black everything except for the moon and stars, which shown even brighter against the black night sky.

I sat up and looked around, not even bothering to get the sand out of my hair.

So this is it. I'm dead.

Falling even deeper into a depressed state, I wrapped my arms around my legs and sat there, humming a sad and lonely lullaby. No one was around; it was just me.

But from somewhere far away, I could hear a voice calling out to me.

"Sai? Sai!"

The voice sounded like a woman. Who are you? Why are you calling my name? It's not like I can talk anymore.

I slowly walked the other way down the bank of the beach, looking around at the empty land before me. After what seemed like an eternity, the beach had started to fade and became a black forest. I was standing in the middle of a great big tree with two signs pointing in the opposite directions; the one on the left said 'The Sweet Escape' and the one on the right read 'Salvation'. Of course, at the time, I didn't understand what they meant.

Suddenly, I heard the voice again, making me jump.

"Sai! Oh god, please! Wake up, Sai!"

I let out a silent sigh and looked again at the two signs when a new voice rang through the forest.

"Lady, it's over. She's dead.."

It sounded sympathetic. A man's voice; rich and clear.

Then I realized what he said.

He said Lady!

So, Lady's here too? But how? I'm supposed to be dead, right?

And again another new voice sounded.

"We may be able to save her. We are going to send volts of electricity through her system which may jump start her heart."

Wait, was that Dr. Dileo?

Oh shit. That's funny. It sounded like Dr. Dileo.

Deciding to ignore what else was being said, I started down the path to the right of the tree. A wind blew past me, but I didn't feel it. I didn't feel anything anymore.

Just then, another gust of wind blew past me, but I felt it this time.

Weird.

I took about another ten steps forward when I noticed something in the distance coming straight toward me.

It looked like a gigantic ray of light. It was so bright that it illuminated the entire forest.

Quickly, it washed over me and the rest of the trees around me.

"Sai?"

The voice was much clearer this time.

I slowly opened my eyes to find another gigantic light pointing directly at me. When I realized that it was another one of those surgery lights, I shot up out of the bed as if I'd been bitten.

A hand quickly flew to my shoulder to try and calm me down.

I looked to my right and saw Lady standing there with a concerned face.

"It's okay. You're safe now."

On the right-hand side of me, Dr. Dileo smiled and wiped sweat from his brow.

"Amazing."

And with that, he and his team of doctors left the room, shuffling out without another word. Lady sat on my side of the bed and studied me curiously.

"Are you okay? What the hell happened?"

I opened my mouth to say something, then stopped after a flood of memories from the fight I had with Dr. Tomo quickly came into my mind. Lady's face seemed to soften.

"You don't have to tell me. Dante's already told me everything he knew about the incident."

Wait, huh?" I tilted my head at her curiously, trying to remember what had happened right before I went under the dark waters.

"I suppose there's no way you could've remembered," Lady chuckled. "Dante said that you were at his office when the mysterious phone call came. After giving the phone to you, he left the room to give you and your 'father' some privacy. Then when he heard the door slam, he followed the scent of your blood right to the Fairground Theatre, where he found you lying on the stage. He said he thought you were dead just from looking at you. That was when the police showed up and they brought you here."

"I see." That was all I could think to say.

"You'd better thank Dante when you see him next!" Lady scolded me.

I laughed a little. "Suppose I should."


	8. Chapter Seven

**Author's Notes: Hey, everyone! Just wanted to thank you all for the wonderful new reviews! And to say that this chapter is actually a songfic! :D As for the song, you must read to find out! ;D**

It's been two months since I was discharged from the hospital. It is October now, and Halloween is right around the corner. I was asked by the representative of Capulet City to perform at this year's Halloween parade, and I eagerly accepted. I've always loved to sing, and people have told me how much they admire my voice. Before I was kidnapped, I was in my school's drama club and I played roles such as Lucy in _You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown _and the narrator in _Pippin_.

And finally, the night to perform has come!

I stood in the building that the parade started from, running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Everyone in the parade was there in their costumes, but I was missing my candle, which was going to be lit as I led the parade. After spending about twenty minutes looking for it on my own, I finally tracked down one of the managers, who told me that it was waiting for me at the front of the line. I got back to my starting position just as we were ready to head out. I was handed my candle as Lady walked over and patted me on the back.

"You'll do great!"

I grinned shakily at her.

"I hope!"

"Are you kidding? You've practiced every day since you were asked to perform!"

I laughed a little and nodded.

The parade itself was fun; everyone was dressed up in gorgeous costumes and great makeup, and the people loved it. I had to smile, too, because I was so lucky to be a part of all this.

And then, when we got back to the outdoor stage, I ran back behind it to get ready for my performance. Once everything was situated, the lights dimmed and all the talking form out in the audience ceased. And when the music started, the curtains before me parted enough to let me through with my lit candle. I walked slowly, a hand cupped around the side of the flame to shield it from the wind as it blew mercilessly. Slowly, I opened my mouth and began to sing.

_In sleep he sang to me_

_In dreams he came_

_That voice which calls to me_

_And speaks my name_

_And do I dream again_

_For now I find_

_The phantom of the opera is there_

_Inside my mind _

I placed kneeled at the center edge of the stage and stood straight, casting my gaze over the audience. The wind blew again, ruffling my hair and my costume, which consisted of a long red dress that had ribbons which laced up my back.

I opened my mouth to sing, but suddenly, someone else's voice sang instead.

_Sing once again with me_

_Our strange duet_

_My power over you_

_Grows stronger yet_

_And though you turn from me_

_To glance behind_

_The phantom of the opera is there_

_Inside your mind_

I whirled around after the first line, my hair whipping around in the wind as it now blew back my hair from my face. This couldn't be! There was a man dressed like the phantom himself! He sang down to me from his place on the highest platform on the stage, and he wasn't that bad at it either. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Yet, somehow, my voice responded to his calling.

_Those who have seen your face_

_Draw back in fear_

_I am the mask you wear _

And, as I had suspected, he intervened.

_It's me they hear_

The man dressed as the phantom spread his cape out and glided onto the stage next to me, one of our shoulders each facing the crowd as we sang together as a duet.

_Your/my spirit and your/my voice in one combined_

_The phantom of the opera is there_

_Inside my/your mind_

His hands slowly came up and lightly touched my shoulders as I sang again.

_He's there_

_The phantom of the opera_

I felt as if this were real, not just me performing for an audience, but reality. Of course, I knew it wasn't, but it felt like it was.

Opening my mouth, I began to wail like Christine had from the movie as the mysterious phantom sung.

_Sing for me..._

_Sing, my angel of music!_

_Sing for me!_

And as the song ended, the candle –which I had been holding between us– went out with the wind. And the next thing I knew, everyone stood up and cheered at the top of their lungs.

It was incredible; everything from the parade to me singing here alongside this man dressed as the phantom, and that wasn't even supposed to happen!

I quickly went to the back of the stage and through the curtains before the lights dimmed up again. Lady ran over to me and threw her arms around me.

"Congrats, Sai!"

I smiled at her shakily.

"Heh. Thanks."

"So, who was the Phantom? I thought you said you didn't find someone to play him."

I leaned in close to her and lowered my voice to a whisper.

"I didn't."

"Wait, you have no cl-"

"I have no freaking idea. I thought you were behind this, but evidently, I was wrong."

Lady narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

"Well, try not to worry about it. If anything happens, I'm right here, okay?"

I nodded and she walked off to go talk to the stage manager as I headed to my dressing room.

Sitting down on the little stool, I glanced into the mirror and caught a glimpse of my face.

My skin was pale as always, but my cheeks; they were….blushing.

But, I didn't even know this person!

At least, I think I didn't…

I closed my eyes to try and see if I could picture the phantom again, but I couldn't.

A knock at my door sent me crashing back to reality as the stage manager entered, holding a rose between her forefinger and thumb.

"Hi, Sai! Great job tonight! Here; this is for you."

I took the rose gingerly, avoiding the thorns.

"Thank you. It's beautiful!"

The stage manager raised her hands.

"It wasn't from me."

A puzzled frown colored my face.

"Then who-"

She just shrugged, then after patting my shoulder; she left, shutting the door behind her.

I studied the rose carefully; it looked gorgeous. Beautiful red petals and bright red thorns.

It was then that I saw the small tag attached to the stem.

Picking it up and unfolding it, I read over the messy script written inside:

**YOU REALLY ARE AN ANGEL**

-phantom

My face could not have gotten anymore scarlet.

And it was just my luck that Lady came in.

"Sai, I have something to te- Huh?"

She looked over my shoulder, reading the card I was holding and broke out into a smile.

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"

My blush got darker, to my surprise.

"S-shut up!"

"That's sooooo cute!"

"Yeah, yeah. Now then, you had something to tell me?"

"Oh, right. I'm going away on another job, and since I don't want anything to happen to you, you're going to be staying with Dante."

"What?!"

"That's right! You're staying with Dante, who has been instructed to watch you like a vulture."

I grumbled, folding my arms over my chest.

"I don't need a babysitter!"


End file.
